I am living this today. I am standing on the faith that God will see us through our troubles and continue to bless us with the amazing grace He has shown all the prior days of our lives. I guess I'll explain what has happened, what is happening and the outcome, as far as we know it now.
I have never been one to share my personal strife or trials online or in person unless the one with whom I am sharing is a very close family member, IE: Mother, sister, wife. That being said, I am changing my policy because of the support we have received for our mission with the 9-12 Project Truck. The story goes as follows.
On the 17th of October, on our way from Salt Lake City UT to Atlanta GA I was driving through the Smokey Mountains in TN between Chattanooga and Nashville. Mont eagle is the town at the top of the mountain.
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As you descend the mountain headed southeast, the scenery is unbelievable at all times of year but this morning seemed especially gorgeous. It was mid October, the leaves were changing, the sun was just cresting the mountain tops to the East, and it was cold enough that there was a heavy frost on most surfaces. The air was brisk but refreshingly clean with the windows of the truck cracked just enough to feel the cool breeze.
I had the radio on and had, just prior to topping the mountain, been listening to Cowboy Church on XM 13 (Willies Place), now renamed Cowboy Camp Meeting I believe. By the time I started down the hill on the south east side, Bill Mack's Sunday Social had started on that same channel. I was looking out the window in awe of the beauty that morning. The sun was heating up just enough to start to warm the roofs of the few buildings you can see off to the south east. Many of the leaves had already begun to fall off the trees and that made the view of those buildings somewhat better though still a bit obscure. As the sun was warming the roofs the frost had started to melt and a fog or steam from that was rising off the roof of an old, somewhat dilapidated, small metal shed and the song below came on the radio behind Bill Mack's booming, easily recognizable voice. The song is Kris Kristofferson's "Why Me".
I'm not sure how any one man can be so blessed but in that moment, and actually in retrospect all moments, I feel I was and am the most blessed man on earth. Since I started driving I had always wanted to be in the Smokey Mountains at this time of year and under these conditions because I had always heard about the beauty that abounds. Words can do it NO justice. Even pictures cannot capture all the many facets of nature's beauty and God's gracious gifts. I could go on about this five minutes for a lifetime...but I'll not.
We continued down the road and near Atlanta I noticed an SUV riding beside me and reading the side of the truck. The road there, reading, taking pictures and waiving for several miles, probably 10 miles or more in all reality. Finally I decided, in the interest of safety and traffic flow, to pull off the road and talk to the people and let them take some good pictures and learn about the 9-12 Project. I pulled off on an off ramp, exited the truck and gave them some reading materials. They signed the truck and allowed me to take a picture of them and their family. This was a very kind Christian family that was eager to learn about the mission.
Following a brief exchange we all moved on and Tina and I continued on to our Atlanta terminal for a Sunday afternoon delivery.
After arriving at the Atlanta terminal we were asked to run a load into Miami that evening for Monday morning. The load was to be ready at 2100. We received a call at about 1600 that there was an earlier Miami load and asked if we could pull it instead of the later one. We complied and off to Miami we headed.
THE "UNWANTED SOBATICAL" CAUSING EVENT: Just south of Macon, at mile post 133, I pulled off the road due to shoulder, jaw and neck pain, and blurred vision. Any guesses? That's right, I was having a heart attack. Tina called 911 and I was picked up by an ambulance and transported to Medical Center of Central Georgia and into the emergency room. After some tests and preparatory procedures they rushed me to the Heart catheter unit and placed a stent in one of the coronary arteries. The artery was 100% blocked by a clot that had broken loose from another location and moved to the heart causing a blockage.
On the night of the 17th of October, after all was said and done, the attending physician informed Tina and me that I had suffered a significant Heart attack but that most of the damage had seemingly been averted with prompt action by the first responders and my quick recognition of a problem, not to mention the amazing Emergency room team and the team in the heart catheter lab.
I stayed in the hospital until the 22nd and was released to go home. Tina drove and we arrived there late Friday evening. Since that time, the news has gotten somewhat worse.
After much testing and many doctors visits, it has been determined that I have suffered a massive heart attack with substantial heart damage. The damage that I have encountered is bad enough that the F.M.C.S.A. (page 94/95)will not allow my re-certification as a commercial driver. Further, it appears at this point that I will need an I.C.D. device implanted to regulate when necessary and shock when necessary, my heart function.
Moving forward: Unfortunately, as mentioned above, the F.M.C.S.A. will not allow me to be re-certified as a commercial driver with the condition of my heart nor will they permit driving with an icd.
I find it heartbreaking that we will have to sell the 9-12 Project Truck. Many of you know our passion for the 9-12 Project and for the mission at hand of helping to wake up and educate the public on the demise of liberty as granted by God to our country.
That being said, when God closes a door He opens a window. I am faithful in the belief that God will provide the path that we are to follow and will lead us down that very path through fervent prayer and his answers thereof.
Finally, though the 9-12 Truck as you have grown to know it will no longer be on the road, at least not with the same vigor as before we will, in whatever endeavor we partake, be promoting, advertising and continue to espouse the Principles and values of the 9-12 Project, and we will be as loud and boisterous about it, just like before.
I will still, in the future be posting at Stop the Destruction of America about current events and my disgust for our out of control government, local, county, state, and national entities all. Please follow along and find out, when I do, about our next venture.
In closing...May the road rise to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, the rain fall soft upon your fields and, until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
God Bless you all.
